Hey folks, I've been reading the forum for a couple of months and pulled the plug in December and bought a 2011 4runner SR5 (I call him Señor Cinco) and registered for the forum yesterday. Great place you have here and a wonderful resource. Thanks.

When I bought the 4runner the finance guy talked me into a 5 year 100,000 mile warranty with a Price Refund if not used. I had not researched the warranty part of the purchase at all and went ahead and got the $0 deductible warranty for $1,350. I thought the warranty was a Toyota Warranty and never really considered that it would be a 3rd party warranty because of the way the finance guy explained it.

I have a question and thoughts about the Fidelity Warranty Services "Tender Loving Care" and would love to hear your thoughts.

I have read online from numerous places that the Toyota Warranty is much better than the Fidelity warranty because the Toyota Warranty covers all of the cost associated with the repairs, can be performed without an adjuster having to see the vehicle and because repair costs rarely get denied when using the Toyota Warranty. That sounds like true peace of mind.

I have read online that the Fidelity "Tender Loving Care" Warranty can be delayed for an adjuster to see and approve the repair (a lot complaints about Fidelity not approving Toyotas repair assessment/costs). I have also heard that the diagnostic costs are not covered under the warranty either. I would also imagine that dealing with a 3rd party warranty company would be more difficult than dealing with Toyota directly about repairs.

So, with that said, I am still considering keeping the Tender Loving Care warranty from Fidelity but I have read numerous people suggest (via Google search) not getting anything other than the Toyota Warranty. My only concern with these recommendations is that the person recommending Toyota over 3rd party warrant never really has a reason other than "it's better". If we all used this thought process when making purchases we would be driving around in Porsches and living in $25 million homes, because they are "better" than what we currently own.

My reasoning for questioning whether or not to keep the Fidelity Warranty is that it comes with a MONEY BACK GUARANTEE if not used in 5 years. I had no intentions of buying a warranty when I bought my 4runner. I have a 2004 4runner with 150k and zero problems and Toyotas are known for being dependable. So, I wasn't going to buy one. However, the warranty company is going to give me my money back in 5 years (minus $50 fee) if there aren't any issues. However, if there are issues, I don't get the money back and they repair the vehicle for no additional costs (unless they charge me diagnostics or deny the claim, in that case, I guess I would learn my lesson).

There are 3 warranty options:

1. Keep the Fidelity Warranty
2. Purchase a Toyota Platinum Warranty
3. Do not get a warranty

So, I'm very sorry for the long post but I'm hoping y'all can steer me in one direction or another and have stories/experiences to help me out. Thanks in advance!

I would never buy a third party warranty. If you look them up in the BBB all you find is complaints, not to mention its just one more thing you have to keep up with. Keep it simple cause when you need a real repair I bet you'll be in a great mood having to deal with some third party warranty. Warranty companies go in and out of business all the time, atleast most of us hope Toyota will not be out of business any time soon.

Go back return it and if you want an extended warranty get the Toyota one.

I got a 100k/72month for $534, does have a $50 deductible though.

Good point, I guess if the company goes out of business I'm stuck holding a piece of paper worth $0.

Don't waste your money. Doesn't matter which company you go with you are betting against mathematics... A bet I would advise against!

Read this thread.

Extended Warranty

I just returned my Fidelity warranty a few weeks ago. I put in link in my post from complaints about Fidelity and their early "50k expiration" clause in their contract.

You can find more complaints here:
Fidelity Warranty Services | Ripoff Report Directory | Complaints Reviews Scams Lawsuits Frauds Reported

There's only one reason the finance SOB sold that to you - he made a killing on you. He COULD have sold you a Toyota warrantee.

Agree with save your money, but if you must have one, buy the Toyota. Search the 5G forum, there's tons of info on where to buy them for cheap.

I'd like to hear back on how difficult it was to get your money back...

I searched earlier today and found some great threads with contact info and the discounted prices for the Toyota Warranty. I'm going to call tomorrow just to get an official quote for my vehicle.

I just called the dealer and told them I'm interested in canceling and he told me I had to actually visit the dealership if I am going to cancel. I didn't finance the vehicle and he told me since I didn't finance it I could get a check back for the cost of the warranty (100% within 30 days, 100% - a $50 fee for 30 - 60 days and after 60 days it will be prorated) but I think if I would have financed it would have been deducted from the loan amount. I'm going to go in there tomorrow and I will let you know what they say.

On the Fidelity warranty if you read the fine print, I believe that if you kept it and did not use it for warranty repairs, you would find out that the return would be prorated based on the number of months remaining on the contract if you got rid of the vehicle before the warranty expires. The Toyota Platinum warranty works the same way in that regard, but the warranty is a great thing if you want piece of mind. You should be able to save at least four hundred dollars on the warranty if you buy from one of the Toyota sites online.

Click on the link posted by Dizzy to make a more informative decision. I was sold Fidelity myself at the dealership and after finding the thread, cancelled Fidelity and bought one at a cheaper price from a warranty specialist(Toyota Platinum Warranty) in Kansas. 125,000 miles/8 years for a good price. Piece of mind straight from the company. I could care less about getting the money back at the end of the contract, as long as when there is an issue during the covered time frame, I'm not getting the runaround.

I went to the dealership today and requested to cancel the warranty. The finance guy said it wasn't a problem and never asked why. While he was pulling everything up on the computer I told him I read online that A Fidelity warranty was not the same as Toyota warranty. He said since they are Toyota Southeast (Georgia dealership) it was the only warranty they offered and therefore a Toyota warranty.

I signed a document saying I wanted to cancel and he told me they would issue a check withing 3-4 weeks and it would be sent to my home address (again, I didn't finance the 4runner and I believe if you finance they credit your loan back rather than issuing a check).

In the end I didn't feel comfortable with the warranty and the service I would have received if there would have been an issue with the vehicle (due to the reviews I read online). More importantly, I really only got the warranty because there was a money back guarantee. I think this car will last for many miles/years without an issue. If there is an issue, I'm hoping it's less than $1,300!

Thanks to everyone for their help and comments!